A crime of deep malignity -- The city and the cause -- The defendants and the troublemaker -- The department and the deputies -- The intrusion -- Uncivil disobedience -- A probable explanation for an improbable case -- The homosexual status law -- From the jail to the bar -- From the gay bar to the bar -- Into the Texas courts -- The constitutional case takes shape -- The politics of law -- The constitutional mainstream -- Mismatch at the Supreme Court -- Respect for their private lives -- Epilogue : sweet land of liberty.

Summary:

Provides a detailed legal history and examines the motives of all players involved with the landmark Supreme Court gay rights case that protected consenting adults' rights, regardless of sexual preference, in the bedroom.